Fourteen Thorns and a Glass Chocobo
by VeilsofSleep
Summary: "There is a materia capable of bringing people back from the dead?" he clarified with a raised eye brow, "And a Sephiroth clone is after it?" Cloud looked grimly at the Turks before him. This could only lead to one thing. Calamity. Again.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is set after Dirge of Cerberus, and I hope you like it :) Please Review and let me know what you think. **

**Disclaimer: Wish I did, but most definitely do not own Final Fantasy, but the OCs are mine.**

**Fourteen Thorns and a Glass Chocobo**

**Chapter 1:**

When the World Regenesis Organization attacked Deepground in the ruins of Midgar, something was unearthed, and something was awakened. Deep in the bowels of the ruined city slept something unimaginable. Of all the secrets Hojo had kept, this one was the most lethal. Buried away for years slept the last and final Sephiroth clone. Who he was before his form was cruelly mutilated, no one knew, but now all he was known as was fourteen. The only indication that the creature had any sense, any coherent thought was his restless pursuit. What he was searching for was known to a few, but as waves of destruction plagued the planet it became apparent that something was being hunted.

"Another town's been attacked," Elena, a Turk of ShinRa, informed her newly rejuvenated boss. It had been the third town to be destroyed in the last four weeks.

"No, it's been annihilated," Rufus replied heavily, reading the report she had placed on his desk. Not a single soul left alive, not a single stone left intact. In essence, the small town had been erased, just as the others had, from the planet.

"Another one?" Reno drawled, despite his cavalier tone, worry clouded his eyes as well. This was getting out of hand. It had been months since this had started, and so far all they could get was a number: fourteen.

"Has Tseng found anything?" Rufus asked, his eye brows furrowed uncharacteristically. The director of the Turks was currently sifting through the records in Nibelheim, trying to find answers. Their tattooed foe could only be one of Hojo's experiments; a Sephiroth clone on a rampage.

"No yet," Elena replied, her own eyes creased in worry.

"Well we know what he's chasing, so why can't we just go grab her?" Reno asked, waving his EMR for effect.

"At this point I think we'll have to," Rufus decided after and after deliberating for a moment, he nodded at his three Turks, and the three strode out the door. Unfortunately the order came too late, for that night, Fourteen struck again.

On the whole, people are unsuspecting beings, going about their business with little thought to their own futures. Very few can ever sense their own ends, their own fates, but a rare few feel it in their very bones. They know when their clocks about to stop. Despite the festivities just outside her hotel room door, Lenora Eris knew her luck was all but gone. For months she had been running from town to town, hoping that somehow the destruction following her around was just a coincidence. Now she was certain that whoever was out there was chasing _her_. With a sigh she looked at the protection charm her mother had given her long ago. It was a glowing silver orb, barely the size of her thumb, hanging off a silver chain; it was materia of some sort, not that it had ever done anything useful.

"So much for protection," she murmured, recounting that her mother had told her that wishing on this charm for protection would call forth the heavens themselves as her warriors. Even though Lenora knew this was just a story, she still prayed a little, hoping for a champion to come to her aid. For a second the materia seemed to glow, but Lenora blinked and it was gone.

A loud yell and the sound of a fight downstairs told Lenora that he was here, and this time she had nowhere to run. Grabbing her small bag and shrugging into her coat, Lenora hurried downstairs. Outside was complete chaos. A fire was burning at the heart of the town and the ground was already lined with blood. Across the square she saw a man wielding a sword in one hand and a gun in the other. A tattoo on his neck spelled fourteen in roman numerals.

"You," he looked at her with dark, mad eyes. True insanity lingered in his face, in his every movement, along with his undeniable power, "Now we can call forth the angel himself."

"Why are you doing this?" Lenora asked, looking at the carnage around her. She did not understand about the angel, nor did she know why she was needed. Lowering his weapons slightly, the man walked casually across the street and met her nose to nose. Putting her best possible poker face forward, Lenora tried to stay strong.

"The Angel awaits, his blackened wing will stretch across the sky," the man purred malevolently, "To erase his death, the materia of life is needed," he raised his gun so it was aimed right at her heart, "Hand it to me."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lenora replied, her voice faltering from fear, she knew exactly what he wanted, but knew she was going to die either way. He roared in frustration, and cocked the gun. Her mother's protection charm was what this man wanted but Lenora didn't know how to tell him it didn't work.

"I will find it-" before he could finish, a revving rang throughout the square, of not one, but multiple motorcycles from behind her. Turning to see what her captor was looking at, Lenora's jaw nearly dropped straight to the floor.

Out of thin air, three men materialized. Clad in black leather, with silver hair, they rode through the square, reaching her just as the man bolted out of their grasp, faster than any human.

"Leave him," the shortest quickly ordered as Fourteen rushed out of sight, "other's are coming." The other two took point, while he took a defensive stance in front of Lenora, who was still trying to find her voice. Before she could ask what was going on, the sound of a cocked gun made her tense. Looking around the square, Lenora tried to pinpoint the source.

"We mean you no harm!" the sound of a megaphone informed them from the shadows and sounds of an entire garrison could be heard in the darkness.

"Yazoo," the leader turned to face the slim man wielding a rather large gun himself.

"I've got the snipers, Kadaj," he replied coolly. With a flick of his long silver hair, he fired a three shoots into the distance, and the sound of three bodies thumping against the cold earth echoed for but a second, and then the war started.

"Loz, grab her!" the leader yelled again and pulled out a magnificent silver sword. He quickly dispatched the first soldier that came at them. At some point, between being shot at and having the large, short haired man shove her bodily into a small crevice, Lenora realized that the soldiers were from the World Regeneiss Organization. If anyone could help her, it was them.

"Stop this!" she grabbed the man named Loz by the arm and yelled in his ear, "Stop!" in return he shoved her back in the crevice and ran off to support the other two. As she watched from her crevice, Lenora realized how thoroughly outmatched the WRO men were. Her three saviours fought elegantly and effectively, cutting every single man down until the square was empty. Feeling shocked, Lenora did not resist when she was yanked out of her hiding spot. Never had she seen such cruel bloodshed before.

"Are you alright?" the leader, Kadaj asked, wiping his bloodied weapon clean. Though his words were meant to be kind, his eyes were empty and his tone lacked any sort of warmth.

"Y-you killed them all," Lenora stuttered back, watching with awe as Yazoo was standing over a soldier, who was barely conscious, but still alive.

"Your protection is our duty," Yazoo replied in the same cool voice, raising his weapon at the defenceless man before him.

"D-don't..." the man begged barely above a whisper. The shot that rang through the square confirmed that these men were not merciful to those they fought against.

"Oh my god," Lenora bit against the tears that threatened her eyes. All the lives that were lost, not only today, but every day before that, were all because of her cowardice. And now this. It seemed her mother's protection materia had worked, but Lenora did not know if her saviours came from heaven or hell. Turning heel, Lenora ran as fast as she could only to crash into the tall one from before.

"Why are you running?" he asked pulling her back to the main square were the other's waited; "It's not safe."

"Please let me go," she begged as he dragged her back, now the tears were flowing freely. Both Yazoo and Kadaj were watching her struggling against Loz interestedly, like she was a caged animal, which in some ways, she was, "Take whatever you want."

"This is the one we were sent to protect?" Yazoo raised an eye brow at his brother. It occurred to Lenora to feel slightly insulted, but she could only assume that she looked like a pitiful mess and bit back the angry retort that sat in mouth.

"We don't get redemption until we fulfil our purpose here, even if it is _her_ protection," Kadaj shrugged back and then looked around once again at the ruined town, "It's time we move." With swift nods, the two moved forward and Kadaj pulled her onto his sleek black motorcycle. Before Lenora could protest, they were speeding down the road, with no signs of return. With trees and forests rushing past her, Lenora had no choice but to hold on for dear life as they rode through the night. Not a word was exchanged during this trip by anyone, leaving Lenora to try and sort her thoughts.

The names of these men sounded familiar, and with some horror, she realized these were the remnants from a few years ago that had resurrected Sephiroth, and also died. To add to this, they had, for some reason, protected her rather than killing her. This little circle continued in her mind until the bike came to a swift stop, jolting her back to reality.

"The Forgotten City?" she looked around at the strange white trees and the odd cone shaped building that dominated the square. It would have been a serene place had it not been for the three monsters that stood beside her.

"It's defensible," Kadaj explained, looking almost reminiscently at the familiar forest, "Yazoo will take the first watch, and I second." Taking a firm clasp of her upper arm, Kadaj partially led and partially dragged Lenora inside the cone shaped building and down to the main part of the city. Most of it looked untouched except for a few small shacks by the entrance, where Lenora assumed the boys had stayed last time they had been...alive.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked as Kadaj led her to a small one bedroom shack that had a small bathroom in one corner and a crude kitchen.

"You called, we answered," Kadaj replied vaguely, while Loz started to unpack some basic supplies.

"The lifestream said we could get salvation," Loz tacked on the last part unthinkingly and then flushed when Kadaj glared at him for his slip of tongue.

"And your well on your way," Lenora retorted, sarcasm flowing freely from her tone, "Killing an entire squadron of men will really help your case with Minerva." After deliberating, Lenora had decided that these men were dangerous, but they wanted her alive, so she could get away with being bitchy. At least for now.

Kadaj glared for a second and then dropped to the floor of the shack and leaned against the wall, "I would suggest you get some sleep _while you can_." The malice in his tone suggested he was not impressed by her mocking words.

"Bite me, Silver," Lenora shot back instinctively. For the last several weeks, she had been living in fear, and with her rescue from certain death, she felt some of her fighting spirit returning to her. Instead of listening to him, Lenora got up and walked out of the shack and when nobody came to get her, she climbed back up to the forest.

"Leave her Loz," Kadaj stopped his brother from getting up as she left, "Yazoo is outside. Let him handle it" With a small chuckle, Loz sat back down. Out of the three brothers, Yazoo was the only one that truly understood the mysteries of the human mind; he understood how to hurt someone and how to comfort them and how to manipulate them to his will. Unlike Kadaj who had a knack for providing physical pain, Yazoo used more subtle tactics to torment his victims.

Unknowingly, Lenora poked her head outside the cone shaped building and peaked into the clearing, looking for the long haired Yazoo. Once she was sure it was empty, Lenora stepped out and looked around suspiciously. Strolling casually, Lenora sat down on one of the three sleek bikes that were parked not far away. Her best shot at escape was hot wiring one of these and taking off. Luckily for her, Lenora had been trained by her mother in covert illegalness, and so was well aware of the intricacies of hot wiring a vehicle. And high jacking a glass chocobo...but that was another story entirely.

"How far do you think you would get?" a cool voice from behind her made Lenora freeze. Looking slightly amused, Yazoo stepped into the clearing and folded his arms. Far from looking angry, he looked more inquisitive if anything.

"Far enough," she huffed back and stepped away from the motorcycle with an air of annoyance about her. Refusing to meet his eye, she instead walked over to the deep pool of crystal like water and experimentally looked into its depths, ignoring the man behind her. Lithely, Yazoo knelt down next to her, close enough that his shoulder touched hers. Though she flinched at his sudden presence, Lenora continued her petulant silence and refused to acknowledge him. Being the skilled manipulator he was Yazoo could see in her reflection that anger that burned in her eyes.

To test her limits, he turned his head to face her and moved in so his lips were right by her ear, "Do you know of the story about the angel and devil?" The whisper was low and smooth. Stubbornly, Lenora refused to turn, and continued facing forward, "An angel sat in the alter in the forgotten city and she prayed for the protection of the planet," the whisper tickled her neck, and Lenora moved away slightly, only to find that the stubborn silver moved forward as well, "The devil wanted to destroy the planet and plunged a knife through her chest-"

"Why are you telling me this?" Lenora asked standing up abruptly, her self control snapping. Slowly, Yazoo stood up as well and triumphantly stepped towards her again, stalking his prey with dancing eyes.

"You prayed too and ended up summoning monsters," Yazoo explained slyly, "does the prayer make you an angel or do the ones you summoned make you a devil?"

By the sudden angst and guilt in her eyes, Yazoo knew he won this round. It had taken all of two minutes for him to understand this feeble human. Despite her obvious guilt at all the lives lost in her name, Lenora hadn't been able to change anything and had maybe even made it worse. She was like all the rest. Then she said something he did not expect.

"Monsters don't get redemption," she countered, taking great pains to match his tone, though her voice didn't quite reach the coolness that his voice had. Looking taken aback for but a quick second, Yazoo quickly reined his emotion. So this little fox wanted to play.

"Something to bear in mind, little bird," Yazoo replied taking another step forward, pinning her against a tree, one final step pressed his body against hers, "We are not saddled by mercy, or forgiveness," he let her tremble beneath him as he continued, enjoying his dominance over this girl, "our existence was created with the sole purpose of bringing the harbinger of chaos to this world, and we almost succeeded."

"Almost," Lenora emphasized, her voice wavering.

"It seems you have something that could serve to do the same thing," Yazoo finished and realization filled her eyes. Lenora understood why she was being hunted.

_His blackened wing will stretch across the sky._

The senseless words from Fourteen's mouth suddenly had meaning. Sephiroth.

* * *

From the deep pits of his mind, Cloud Strife tried to find any last vestige of patience that he could bestow upon the red headed Turk that stood at his front door. It was two o'clock in the morning and despite popular belief, Cloud was only human, and deeply wished to be back in his comfy bed rather than arguing with the insistent Turk and his bald partner.

"Reno, I will give you ten seconds and then I'm going to let Tifa handle it," Cloud knew this threat would work. Tifa was less then pleasant when woken at ungodly hours, and Reno knew that from experience; there was a scar on his left thigh from a whisk to prove it.

"Hear me out!" Reno begged. With a sigh at his partner, Rude pushed a slim manila folder into Cloud's hands. Still glowering, Cloud grudgingly opened it and quickly skimmed the thin report that lay inside. Unbelievingly, he shook his head and reread it, hoping this was some mistake.

"There is a materia capable of bringing people back from the dead?" he clarified with a raised eye brow, "And a Sephiroth clone is after it?"

"And it seems the Remnants are back as well," Rude added indicating to the backside of the last page of the report that contained the account of the latest town that was destroyed. Cloud looked grimly at the Turks before him. There was only one direction in which this could go.

Calamity.

Again.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: ...Hi guys...So it's been well over a year since my last update or say a second chapter... I'm truly sorry to anyone who read or alerted this and never got an update. I was smart this time and wrote ahead about six or so chapters, so the updates should be pretty steady for the next little while. I'll try to update at least once a week. So enjoy and please review!**

Chapter 2:

It seemed time had changed things in the Strife-Lockhart household. No longer was Cloud the pining young man from before; he didn't spend his time wondering why he and Tifa never worked as a couple. He understood now. Time had changed them, Tifa and Cloud were different people then when they had fought together years ago. Now she was moving on with her life, and he had decided to move forward as well. But they still lived together, and Tifa still fussed over Cloud in that unique way she had.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for you to go to the Forgotten City?" she asked for the third time that morning as Cloud made his final preparations. After Reno's midnight visit, Cloud had immediately woken Tifa and had a comb thrown at him. Needless to say that she approved of this plan about as much as she approved of Denzel receiving a flamethrower for Christmas as Barrett had suggested.

"Vincent said he would meet me there tonight," Cloud explained, placing all his various swords in their appropriate slots upon his majestic steed. How Vincent got his information, Cloud did not know, but he was more than happy to have the former-Turk's help, "I'll call you tomorrow." With a final wave at Marlene and Denzel, he took off upon Fenrir, roaring out of Edge.

Usually, to get from Edge to the Forgotten city one had a fourteen hour trip ahead of them. Luckily for Cloud, Rufus was in a helpful mood and had provided a helicopter, sans Reno. Instead a woman with auburn hair sat in the pilot's seat. Her face seemed oddly familiar, but Cloud couldn't quite place it.

"Cloud Strife," she smiled lightly, acknowledging him with a nod, and Cloud swore he saw recognition light up her eyes as well, "My name is Cissnei."

"You new?" Cloud asked, loading Fenrir onto the large helicopter. Luckily Rufus had the foresight to know that Cloud would not travel without his mechanical love and had sent an appropriate sized copter with a large enough hatch for his motorcycle.

"No, actually I'm one of the older ones," Cissnei smiled back, almost wistfully and she saw the confusion on Cloud's face. Shaking her head, Cissnei snapped herself out of it and Cloud sat down next to her. After they were all strapped in, Cissnei started the helicopter and moved it forward.

Atop the black machine, it didn't take long for Cloud to reach the outskirts of the forgotten city. According to ShinRa's sources, this was where the remnants were last seen. Cloud had Cissnei land a few hours outside of the Forgotten city, so as not to alert the menaces that lingered there. As expected, Vincent slithered out of the forest right before sunset, looking somewhat grimmer than usual.

"What's wrong?" Cloud asked as the caped man approached.

"It seems something else was woken after Deepground," Vincent replied, somewhat tiredly, looking at the forest beyond. It sounded as though smooth footsteps were approaching them, and with bated breath, Cloud waited.

" 'even if the morrow is barren of promises,' " A voice spoke from the shadows of the forest, perfectly reciting Loveless in a smooth tone, " "Nothing shall forestall my return.' " From the white trees stepped a tall leonine man, with auburn hair and a crimson feather duster sweeping around his legs. Clearly a former-SOLDIER, the man had tell tale mako blue eyes and a red rapier at his side. Though Cloud had never met him, he knew exactly who this was.

"Genesis Rhapsodos," Cissnei looked just as surprised as he did and watched the red clad man stride up to them, "you're not degrading!"

"Cissnei, such a pleasure," he smirked, amusement lacing his voice, "And you must be Zack's puppy, as he was Angeal's," he turned to face Cloud, the amusement never leaving his face, "it seems we have work to do." He seemed more than ready for a fight.

"Just a warning, he enjoys theatrics more than Rufus does," Vincent informed dryly and Genesis found he could not even deny that fact. His rejuvenation and awakening had left him in a stunningly good mood, which was odd for the former first class, and when Genesis was in a good mood, he was usually glib and more than somewhat arrogant. Not to mention annoying as all hell. Vincent had learned this the hard way.

"What's going in the city?" Cloud asked, choosing to ignore the former SOLIER for now.

"It seems that the remnants have taken the girl with the materia hostage," Vincent explained, having already scoped out the situation. What he hadn't been able to deduce was why the remnants saved the girl instead of taking the materia. Mercy was not something the remnants were known for, leading him to wonder why they were back at all if not to resurrect Sephiroth.

* * *

Only when Yazoo's shift ended did Lenora allow herself a short, restless nap. The entire time the long haired menace had been standing guard, his eyes had remained on her tired form, almost hauntingly. Once Kadaj relieved his brother, Lenora let out a deep sigh of relief. Though he was more frightening then Yazoo is some ways, Kadaj seemed less interested in tormenting her and instead kept about his own business. Though he still watched her from the corner of his eye and observed several interesting things. For one, Lenora was highly clumsy and had several dirt stains on her person to prove it. Second, she seemed to be in deep thought. Kadaj knew she would break her silence soon, from what he understood of her, this woman was not one to stay silent.

"You know that redemption usually requires fixing certain character flaws right?" Lenora finally got the courage to talk to the leader of the remnants, "Like, selfishness, or cruelty, or the penchant for _merciless killing_ for instance." Turning sharply, he faced her with a fixed stare on his face, as though he was trying to read her mind.

"Your point?" he asked, his tone decidedly even.

"Do you even want redemption?" Lenora asked, trying to understand these brothers' motivations. From what she had seen, they cared about little outside each other, and understood even less. They were incomplete in more profound ways then simple DNA. It made her sad to see that these three boys, hardly her age, could have never experienced love or kindness or compassion.

"I'm not sure," Kadaj replied truthfully, something which surprised Lenora, but she let him continue, "We were never had life for the purpose of living it ourselves, now me and my brothers are doing things the only way we know how."

"But it's not the only way," Lenora rebutted, taking a seat on a low hanging branch and continued passionately, "The smallest gesture of kindness can have the most profound of reactions!" Her spiel was cut short as Kadaj quickly yanked her off the branch and shoved her behind a rock with his weapon already in hand, "What?"

"Someone's coming," the boy replied, his enhanced ears pricking at the familiar hum of an oncoming motorcycle, "Brothers!" his call was answered automatically by Yazoo and Loz, who were at his side in an instant, their weapons drawn as well.

"Big brother?" Loz asked.

"Probably."

As they waited, the hum got louder, and finally they could hear the full roar of the engine as it ripped through the trees and into the clearing. With his fusion sword already drawn, Cloud had it pointed at Kadaj the same instant Kadaj had his souba aimed at Cloud. From behind Cloud, a Turk carrying a shurikin stepped of the back of the motorcycle. A man in a crimson coat flew down on one wing and Vincent entered with his cape swishing behind him. It seemed to be a battle of wills as the two parties glowered at each other with weapons blazing.

"Sephiroth will not be summoned," Cloud swore, and no one could doubt the angry fire in his eyes.

"No he won't, because we won't allow it," Kadaj replied, keeping his weapon trained on the chocobo headed man. Judging by their faces, this was not the response they were expecting.

Cissnei lowered his weapon slightly, her resolve faltering, "You're not trying to bring him back?"

"We are simply here because we were called," Yazoo explained, not lowering his gun. After seeing the massacre she did before, Lenora was quite keen on preventing another bloodbath. Gathering her courage, she stepped out from behind the rock and took a step forward.

"It seems like we're on the same side," she commented, keeping her tone as light as possible despite the molasses thick tension that filled the air, "so we can glaring at each other murderously," Cloud looked at her oddly, while Genesis looked plain amused, "please?"

"Well since you asked nicely, we'll just throw down arms and let the pretty Silvers kill us in cold blood," Genesis commented sarcasm oozing from his voice like poison, holding his rapier a little higher. Years of slumber did not seem to have affected his reflexes in any way shape or form.

"Real mature," she muttered audibly and then decided to take a more active stance. Walking out in the middle of the glaring contest, she stood right between Kadaj and Cloud and looked at them with a bemused expression on her face, "Can we be reasonable adults?"

Surprisingly enough, Kadaj lowered his weapon first, "Small gestures, correct?" Lenora nodded approving and then glared down the handsome blonde before her, until he slowly stowed his massive sword. With the leaders having submitted to peace, the rest of the warriors soon followed and in a matter of minutes everyone was staring at each other unsure of what to do next. Questioning eyes turned to Lenora who had incited this uneasy truce.

"How about a cathartic hug?" Despite the amusement it would provide, Lenora deduced by the glares and groans she received, they would all prefer to die right there then have to endure the humiliation of such an emotional gesture.

"I would rather you transform me into a frog and throw me off a cliff," Genesis retorted, folding his arms in displeasure.

"Rest assured the feeling is mutual," Yazoo spat back scathing, though Loz didn't look entirely opposed to the idea. However he knew better then to voice his opinion.

"Drama queens," Lenora muttered at their theatrical natures, those were two people that would need to be watched, "So, how are we going to stop this Fourteen fellow who wants to cause a third calamity?"

Blank looks were exchanged. No one had quite thought that far yet apparently. Lenora faced palmed. End of existence here we come.

"The arrow has left the bow of the goddess," Genesis quoted being ever helpful. Not having ever been a real fan of the play, Lenora was already starting to get annoyed with it.

"Excuse me sir?" she turned to face the infuriating man, "kindly shut up. Thank you." Looking slightly taken aback and rather pissed off, Genesis was about to retaliate with something venomous, when Cissnei decided to take over as the peace keeper for the rest of the night.

"It's late, we should stay here for the night," she suggested. There was more than enough room for them in the Forgotten city. Grudgingly the other's agreed, though Cloud seemed somewhat on edge about the idea. It was decided that they would sleep in the cone shaped house's upper bedroom, which housed enough cots for them all. Vincent disappeared as was his nature, but everyone else remained.

* * *

It seemed the comfort of the bed only pulled Lenora into a nightmare that much faster. One second she had whispered good night to the remnants and the next she was standing in a sea of fire. The red flames licked at her clothes and skin, making the dream all the more real. Throwing her arms over her head, Lenora ran, trying desperately to escape the fire. The sweep of a wing, made her stop, and a sudden clasp on her wrist made her cry out. When she opened her eyes, amongst the flames stood a tall, white haired man, with one black wing at his side. His cat-like eyes bored into hers, holding her in the flames with a tight grip.

"This is not real," Lenora chanted over and over again. Another sharp tug on his arm, made her cry out again.

"I will never be a memory," Sephiroth's voice echoed in her mind as she awoke back in the Forgotten city, with sweat clinging to her brow. Panting hard, Lenora sat up and tried to make sense of what just happened. Her entire body ached. Looking around, she spotted a certain chocobo haired man, also looking like he'd see a ghost. On the pale skin of his wrist was a blackened bruise.

"Cloud," she hissed at him and held out her own hand for him to examine. On her wrist was a bruise to match his own. He swiftly indicated that they needed to talk, and together the two made their way outside. Staring at the reflection of the moon against the water, they stood silently for a minute.

"You saw it too." It wasn't a question.

"The fire, Sephiroth, everything," she replied, experimentally poking the dark purple bruise, trying to rub it off somehow, "How is that possible?"

"Your materia probably," Cloud theorised, staring at the water hard, deep in thought, "this place..."

"What happened here?" Lenora asked looking out at the forest. It should have been calming and serene, but instead it just seemed sad and full of grief, it's image marred by the past "Yazoo told me some story about a Devil stabbing an Angel through the heart but..." she trailed off when she saw a flicker of grief flash across Cloud's face, "never mind." From what little she knew of the blonde beside, Cloud seemed to be a veritable closed book of information. With slight embarrassment, Lenora realized her gaze had held his for longer then was socially normal. With a non committal grunt, she turned away.

"Even the very memory of a person can keep them alive," Cloud spoke after a few minutes, feeling oddly calm despite the place and situation. An awkward silence ensued as both sides tried to clear their jumbled thoughts. Finally, Lenora got up and started to walk back inside. Suddenly all traces of seriousness disappeared.

"Argh!" A loud yell not only pulled Cloud out of his reverie, but managed to wake everyone up. At the same time as Lenora was picking herself off the ground, everyone burst from the house with their weapons all drawn, looking half asleep and dangerous. One can imagine their irritation when they spotted Lenora on her stomach in the dirt, with cheek resting against the cool ground.

"My sense of balance hates me," her muffled groan could be heard as she forced herself off the ground and into sitting position.

"Are you sure you weren't a Banshee in a past life?" Yazoo asked, his usually impeccable hair looking slightly ruffled, and his annoyance rolling off him in waves.

"One would hope not," she retorted standing up gingerly, "that is so going to leave a mark."

"All that awaits you is a sombre morrow," Genesis quoted dangerously, suggesting he would exact his revenge for this in the near future.

"How in the hell can you quote so early in the morning?" Lenora asked, watching the former-SOLDIER with some annoyance on her face now. With a glare, he took a dangerous step forward and then seemed to decide that she just wasn't worth it right now. Stomping off, Genesis went back to bed muttering curses under his breath.

"What a drama queen."

"I wouldn't insult him," Cissnei suggested also taking her leave.

"Yes, hell hath no fury like a Genesis scorned," Kadaj scoffed, stowing his own sword, "I'm going to do a round of the area."

"I'll come," Loz looked around once and then followed Kadaj out. With a small glare at Lenora, Yazoo than followed. Not even bothering with a good bye, Cloud shook his head at her and walked inside, leaving her to follow.

* * *

After much debate and arguing, it was decided that Loz would be the one to wake Lenora, who as it turned out was a very heavy sleeper. Cursing his bad luck, the remnant stood awkwardly over her bed and experimentally poked her in the shoulder. Receiving no response, he jabbed a little harder.

"You gotta get up," after shaking a little bit, he finally managed to get her eyes to slip open for a second and fall shut again. With a growl he poked her again, "Come on!" He stood cursing for a second, trying to figure out what to do next, when Lenora finally decided to answer him.

"Carry me?" her words made him cringe. He was one of Sephiroth's remnants. A born fighter with skills only paralleled by his brothers and Cloud. He was fierce, except for the occasional fit of tears, and dastardly. With a sigh, Loz bid his bad boy image good bye and lifted the sleeping woman into his arms most grudgingly. One can imagine his disgust when she nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck. Several eye brows rose as he carried her out. Reno and Rude had flown a second helicopter to the forgotten city and of course, Reno couldn't contain himself.

"Less than a day and she's already got ya trained," he grinned, flashing a cocky smile. He was lucky that Loz was occupied.

"Ah excuse me, remnant?" Genesis stepped forward with a vengeful glint in his eyes, "I'd be happy to carry her burden." Thanking his lucky stars, Loz handed her off to Genesis, who then walked to the edge of the pool of water. Everyone rolled their eyes, knowing what was coming next. Without further ado, Genesis pulled his arms away and let her splash into the water most comically.

"Sonofabitch!" she yelled loudly as the cold water forced her into consciousness. For a second she just sat in the waist deep water, trying to understand what exactly happened. Then she saw Genesis.

"My lady vengeance serves me well," he commented lightly, looking highly amused. With a sharp growl, Lenora stood up and squelched out of the water, glaring at amused grins and laughter she received. With as much dignity as she could, Lenora pushed past Reno and sat down in the helicopter leaving a trail of water behind her.

"She's going to be highly infuriated when she's fully conscious," Kadaj commented delicately.

"And he's going to be insufferable," Yazoo added distastefully.

"And we're going to go insane," Cloud finished dully, pinching the bridge of his nose and forefinger, trying to remember why he was putting up their collective antics.

Oh yes, their planet was once again in danger.

He was seriously starting to wonder if it was worth this.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please review!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: alright guys, I'm putting this chapter up in good fate. The last chapter got 25 or so hits (Which is awesome, and thanks for reading), but not a single review or alert. If you guys don't like it, please let me know. I'm updating twice in the same weekend, but if no one likes then it seems a little disheartening. Just let me know what you think.**

**Disclaimer: All I own in Lenora.**

Chapter 3:

The helicopter ride back to Edge was a quiet, yet tension filled one. Anger was rolling of Lenora in waves, while Genesis was all too smug. The remnants seemed rather uncomfortable to be so closely confined to people they'd tried to kill before.

"I need a drink yo," Reno commented when they were finally nearing Edge. Trust the redhead to be the one to break the silence. Though it was remarkable that Reno had lasted this long without speaking.

"Some strong preferably," Lenora commented dryly. Though she was dried out now, she desperately wanted a shower and a mallet with which to beat Genesis. The former first had been smirking for near three hours with superiority.

Once the helicopter was safely on the ground, there was a mad dash to escape and somehow everyone made it out without causing a stampede. One can imagine Tifa's surprise and alarm when the remnants strolled in behind Cloud. Her immediate reaction to drop kick Loz was understandable, if not somewhat amusing.

"Tifa, I know this strange, but we believe their here to help," Vincent soothed the angry barmaid. Narrowing her eyes, she surveyed the remnants, as though sizing them up.

"The bathroom is to your left," she informed threateningly, her tone suggesting that if they tried anything she would be waiting to kick their asses. The remnants nodded warily, they knew that she was a viable threat if she wanted to be. Finally, Loz left for the bathroom, not able to stand the barmaid's glares any longer.

"I'll get breakfast started," Tifa decided, noting the tired faces around her. She may not have liked it, but she trusted Cloud.

"Here, I'll help," Cissnei hurried forward with Rude on her tail, both eager to make up for inconveniencing Tifa so. While the smell of eggs and bacon started to waft into the main portion of the bar, everyone took turns with the bathroom.

"In all seriousness, what are we going to do about Fourteen?" Lenora asked quietly. It seemed wrong somehow, that they were sitting patiently in the surgically clean bar waiting for breakfast while a Sephiroth Clone was out on the rampage.

"What we've always done," Cloud replied, mimicking her dire tone, his eyes hardened at the thought of more violence. The world had seen enough devastation as it was, the idea of more seemed apocalyptic.

"I still don't understand how this materia works," Genesis put in, looking at the small blue orb that hung off Lenora's neck, "or why you brought back the Remnants." In his lifetime at SOLDIER and after his desertion, he had seen many things, but of one thing he was always sure; the absolutism of death. Now Genesis doubted that anything in life was absolute.

"Damned if I know," Lenora shrugged at his question, holding the charm in her hand, "It didn't work when I needed someone to break me out of Coral Prison, or that time I needed to steal that car, or when I was trapped in the Mythril Mines, or-"

"I think we see the picture," Kadaj cut her off mid sentence, "though I theorise that the materia is a sort of direct channel to the lifestream."

"Yes, I am reasonably sure that it was the lifestream that resurrected us, the materia simply requested that it be done," Yazoo agreed, remembering the beautiful, melodious voice that had urged him and his brothers to seek salvation.

"So it would seem that the remnants were brought back with the logic that using them would be the best way to defeat a Sephiroth clone," Vincent added thoughtfully. They all stared thoughtfully at each other while each contemplated the implications of this. Finally Lenora spoke.

"Couldn't we just destroy the materia?" This elicited scoffs from everyone.

"You can't simply smash materia like glass," Vincent explained, while Genesis rolled his eyes at her naivety.

"The only way to destroy materia is to..." Yazoo trailed off as he looked at his brother with an expression akin to a Wil E Coyote's 'Super Genius' expression. Similar looks of realization crossed everyone else's face as they realized what the remnant was thinking about.

"The goddess's cave," Genesis finished Yazoo's previous statement, remembering the legend of said cavern which contained pure lifestream in the greatest concentration. The only place where true, natural materia could actually be destroyed.

"That's just a legend," Reno countered.

"If history has taught us anything, it's to not underestimate the Ancients," Vincent warned, reminding everyone of their previous experiences with legends that turned out to be true fact. Flashbacks of a certain meteor hurtling towards the planet coloured Cloud's memories

"Where is the cave?" he asked curiously.

_Past the calamity's landing, _

_In the deepest vestiges of the planet,_

_Lays the place of eternal rest _

Genesis recited this section of the old legend absolutely perfectly, earning himself some odd looks from his comrades.

Slightly crossly he answered their looks, "I do read great works other than Loveless."

"Those stories suck yo," Reno shrugged, and before Genesis could smite him where he stood, Tifa intervened by placing breakfast in front of them, with Cissnei and Rude carrying the remained plates.

"So we're going to the northern cave?" she clarified, having caught the tail end of the conversation as she entered. It didn't take a lot of brain crunching to guess that 'Calamity's landing' referred to the place where Jenova first cursed this planet.

"First we'll have to go to Cosmo canyon and get the full text," Genesis countered, he only remembered a short portion and it would be unwise to go seeking the goddess's cave without all the information.

"Someone has to take care of Fourteen," Cloud looked oddly resigned to the task.

"And who better suited that Sephiroth's remnants," Kadaj retorted, looking just as determined as Cloud. Both stared each other down with distaste.

"That's admirable, but I believe ShinRa can keep Mr. Fourteen occupied while you use your collective intellects to locate the cave," Rude interjected. Rufus was determined to play an active role in defeating Fourteen. It had been, after all, his company's creation and the CEO had instructed Rude to deliver this message should the need arrive.

"It'll take more than the Turks," Genesis warned, knowing full well the strength of those infected with alien cells.

"It's handled," Reno's tone seemed final enough, and to prove it, the two Turks left their plates where they lay and strode out of the bar into the sunlight. At their abrupt departure, Cloud's immediate reaction was to ignore Rude's words and go after the clone himself.

"ShinRa really has changed, hasn't it?" it was Lenora who spoke; she sounded mildly surprised, but her observation drove Cloud to decision. Decisively, he sat back down in his chair and picked up his fork; ShinRa had changed, and it was time he accepted it.

"We'll call Cid," he planned. Airship would be fastest if they wished to reach the northern crater.

"Oh and Yuffie'll be here by sundown," Tifa suddenly remembered the hasty message that had been left on her answering machine this morning, "Sorry Vincent." Everyone heard Vincent's laboured sigh. The young ninja was just as much a hindrance as she was a help.

* * *

After a hasty breakfast and quick shower, everyone scattered around the bar. The remnants sat stiffly in the main room with the two children that lived there, Marlene and Denzel. As Lenora learned, the children of the most agreeable sort, and after a little explaining, managed to accept the remnants, though they had obvious signs of fear.

"How does one...converse with children?" Yazoo asked quietly after nearly twenty minutes of awkward silence.

"Like this," Lenora gave a grin, "Yo kids, do you guys wanna go for milkshakes?" Their eyes lit up at the sound of the delicious icy drink.

"Can I have vanilla?" Marlene asked, staring at them with the typical puppy dog eyes that were expectant of that age. The remnants had never seen such tactics before and were utterly defenceless against such strategies.

"Um...yes?" Loz answered unsurely. Giving a loud yippee, the two jumped up, though Denzel had far more reserve than his counterpart.

"Alrighty, go convince Tifa and then you all can go," Lenora suggested and watched as Marlene scampered off, "I have something to take care of." Once the remnants had left, Lenora approached Tifa as she readied to leave with them.

"Tifa?" she asked unsurely and then continued when Tifa looked up at her, "I heard about this old church-"

"It's about a twenty minute walk," Tifa replied knowingly. It hadn't been the first time someone had questioned her about the old building. After receiving directions from Tifa, Lenora hurried off before anyone could question her and it wasn't until Cloud came down for lunch that he noticed she was missing at all. Curiously, he decided to make his own little excursion and see what she was up too.

The church was even more beautiful then Lenora could have pictured. Despite the hole in its roof, and the mould growing on the old wood, the building looked majestic and extravagant. Bypassing the wreckage around her, Lenora made a beeline for the front door and quickly entered. Just as she had heard, there was the mystical pool of water. With a deep sigh, Lenora pulled off her clothes until she was in her under clothes and peered into the crystal like pool. In her reflection she could see the blackened skin that marred her image. The stigma ran from her right shoulder all the way to her left thigh. Since Fourteen's wake, it had been progressing at an alarming speed, and Lenora had all but given up hope. Now as she sat there, she wondered if life would be more painful then death.

Using his mako enhanced skill, Cloud silently entered the church, but what he found surprised him more than anything else. Marvelling, Cloud wondered how she had been able to stand, let alone function at the level she did. The pain she felt should've been beyond tolerability, but she had looked and acted perfectly healthy.

As he observed her, Cloud realized that she had a strength he wasn't capable off. He had a minor case of the stigma and had become a recluse, while Lenora had stayed strong in far worse conditions. Guilt coloured his thoughts slightly as he approached her.

"Lenora?" he asked in a voice as soft as he could make it. Spinning around, Lenora scooped up her shirt and turned to the owner of that husky, yet oddly musical voice.

"What?" there was no hint of fire in her voice as she spoke and Lenora hated it. Cloud was the second person in a twenty four hour span who had seen her completely vulnerable and it was not a feeling Lenora enjoyed.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Cloud asked, taking a cautious step forward.

"It was my problem to deal with." There was a flicker of the stubbornness that Cloud remembered from yesterday.

"Let me help you," Cloud beseeched and after a moment's hesitation, Lenora nodded in agreement. Stepping into the waist deep water, Cloud held out his hand to her and took a firm, comforting hold on her hand. Leading her to the center of the pool, he cupped his hands and let the water flow down her back.

For a second she shuddered as the cold water hit her back and then felt the most peculiar tingling throughout her body. When it stopped she ran a hand on her back and was surprised to see that it did not come back blackened by decay.

"Whoa," she whispered, rolling her shoulders. And Cloud saw a look in her eyes, the same look he'd seen in Denzel's eyes the day the stigma was cured, the same look he had seen in his own eyes.

Hope.

* * *

Lenora was thoroughly enjoying her newfound health, and made no attempt to hasten back to Seventh Heaven. Instead, she forced Cloud to show her around the remaining wreckage of Midgar. Every now and then he would point out a building or cautiously suggest that they head back. After some time, they arrived at an old park, very similar to the one that he and Aerith had once talked in. Craters and pieces of concrete littered the area, and rust covered swings and sea saws dominated the park. At the center was an old slide, which Lenora was currently standing on like an explorer of old.

"Hmm...this would lead to Sector one right?" Lenora pointed out a small broken path that lay up ahead.

"Yup," Cloud replied, his thoughts still on Aerith. Years ago, she had stood bravely on a slide similar to that one.

"Interesting," Lenora commented looking around at the ruins; though her tone was steady, the wreckage she had seen had panged at her heart, all the lives that were lost seemed to echo through this place. Warning lights went off in Cloud's head as he observed the broken down slide she was standing on.

"Get down from-" his warning came too late and with a loud splintering and a small poof of dust, Lenora was swallowed into the weakened ground, shouting loudly as she went. Running over, Cloud peered into the Lenora sized hole, "Lenora!"

"Cloud?" she called back from the darkness below. Rather than sounding panicked or hurt, she sounded inquisitive instead and seemed completely unconcerned about her current situation, "You might want to come down here."

"Can't you be sane?" Cloud called back irritably and then groaned when he heard her moving to explore the pit further, "Get out of the dangerous sinkhole!"

"Shut up for a second," Lenora called back as she explored around in the dark. The hole wasn't fairly deep and she had landed into something that was far more interesting then the ruined buildings outside, "What does a secret lab look like?"

"What the hell?" Cloud replied her question with some interest colouring his voice.

"You may want to call ShinRa," Lenora was staring out at the dusty room before her, "cause I just found the mother lode." Vials and broken beakers littered the area along with papers and folders, all emblazoned with the ShinRa electric companies logo. Every file had the words 'Top Secret' written across it in big letters.

After nearly three hours, Cloud found himself still standing outside that hole while that wretched woman inside went through the papers with Tseng. As it turned out she was an anthropologist and had been able to decipher the scientific recording that the room held. Inside the dark dusty cavern, Lenora worked with precise clarity as she read through the files.

"It definitely has to do with Sephiroth clones and Jenova," she explained once Cloud had practically forced her back to ground level. It was getting dark and he wanted to get back to the bar before monsters started stalking the ruined city, "and something about a test subject."

"Fantastic," Cloud replied as they entered the bar. It was a Friday night, so the entire room was full of people, including their current guests.

"Long day?" Tifa commented when they stumbled through the door. Both were covered with dust, but Lenora more so and both had identical weary looks on their faces.

"Good Gaia, don't ask," Cloud replied seating himself on the nearest bar stool, grateful when Tifa plopped a cold one in front of him.

"We found a one of Hojo's secret labs," Lenora explained excitedly, while everyone else looked at her with amusement. She was like a kid on Christmas. In celebration, she eagerly accepted a drink from Tifa, who somehow realized it was going to be a long night.

After drinking her weight in alcohol, Lenora found that she was thoroughly drunk and rather loud as well. Ignoring that little fact, she stumbled over to the bar and sat down next to a silent Cloud, who ignored her for the better part of the night.

"Have you heard of Lyman's theory of the mammalian order?" Lenora asked the man next to her drunkenly when Cloud refused to respond.

"You mean the man who besmirches the name of science?" the man slurred back, having consumed a fair amount of drink himself. Clearly he was not a fan of Lyman's work.

"His ideas were revolutionary, you prudish vulture!" Lenora shouted back, the world vulture slurred slightly, "It's the quintessence of evolutionary theory regarding the divergence of Eukaryotes!"

"How is she still standing?" Loz asked watching as the two of them continued to argue. He had been counting her drinks for the night, and as far as he knew, most humans should have been passed out by now.

"How is she still able to...think?" Yuffie added, sounding slightly impressed. Upon her arrival, she had been introduced to Lenora, and reintroduced to the remnants and had than latched onto Vincent for the rest of the evening.

"Oh holy," Cloud commented, getting a very bad feeling about this.

"That's a load of crock!"

"I'll give you crock you drunken illiterate!" she finally screamed at the unfortunate man and turned her full margarita onto his head. Everything stopped as everyone turned to watch the spectacle that was occurring and then the inevitable happened.

"Bar fight!" someone yelled and it was all over. The rest of the night was spent throwing a punch or hiding behind the bar.

* * *

The bird`s morning song felt like someone was repeatedly beating Lenora`s head with a hammer and for a few minutes, she just lay there, noticing the new bruises she felt. Certain events that transpired last night came rushing back in a blurry picture movie. Her and Lyman shouldn`t be mixed with Vodka, it never ended well. With a groan, Lenora forced herself up.

"How your head" Tifa asked as she stumbled down the stairs and desperately grabbed for the cub coffee on the counter.

"Like someone's sounding a foghorn in my skull," Lenora replied, collapsing on a nearby bar stool and effectively swiping Genesis's toast. It seemed the entire team was up already, "What exactly happened last night?"

"It seems you plus alcohol equals bar fight," Yazoo explained delicately.

"Something we'll bear in mind," Tifa added bemusedly. After discussing it with Cloud, she had decided that next time they would cut Lenora off early. She had become blacklisted just like Barrett was, for similar reasons.

"Cid called, he'll be here around noon," Cloud informed them as he strode down the stairs with his boots clunking the whole way.

"And what about the lab?" Lenora asked, trying to finish her coffee in one gulp.

"Tseng is still searching," Cloud replied with a slightly twitch of his eyebrow as he lied easily to her, hoping she wouldn't notice or question him further. Despite being hung over, she still managed to catch his tone and effectively hounded him for the remainder of breakfast.

"Tseng found something didn't he?" this was the third time she'd asked.

"Would you shut up, woman?" Genesis growled, his own head pounding with a head ache. Apparently the former first had indulged a little too much in celebration of his return.

"Would you just tell me Cloud?" Lenora also growled, very petulantly at that.

Cloud pointedly continued eating, ignoring her completely.

"Cloud."

...

"Tell me."

...

"Cloud!"

A glare from Genesis silenced her for a few minutes.

"Cloud, please!"

"For the love of all that's holy!" Genesis yelled and stomped out of the room in a fury. Everyone stared at them with raised eye brows. It seemed Lenora and Genesis had found frienemies in one another.

"Please spare us," Kadaj kept his tone neutral, but his eyes looked annoyed to the point of violence. With a sigh, Cloud threw caution to the winds. If Lenora insisted on being annoying than he would be blunt.

"They matched Fourteen's DNA," Cloud replied with a heavy sigh, "His actual name is Max Eris, and he went missing fourteen years ago."

"Max E-Eris?" Lenora repeated her face pale. In her minds eyes she remembered a young boy who would look after her when her mother was out, a boy who disappeared. A boy her mother always searched for.

The prodigal son, her brother, was Fourteen.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed, please review!


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